


White and Red Lines

by Angelicat2



Series: Sheith Angsty Week [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Day 3-letting go/scars, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), It's hardly mentioned, M/M, Past Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), References to Depression, Self-Harm, Sheith Angst Week 2018, Suicide Attempt, Worried Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 10:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15861681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: Shiro gets worried when Keith is late to one of their hoverbike rides. Finding the younger, he finds out he has a very good reason to be scared for his best friend.





	White and Red Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure you read the tags people. Some tough stuff here.

Shiro wondered where Keith was. The younger and he had plans to go riding, but Keith wasn't there. That in itself was weird because Keith was always early to these hoverbike rides. He knew that Shiro was a pretty busy person, so he took any moment to hang out with the older man. Shiro himself loved these moments because he liked spending time with his younger friend. 

Waiting another ten minutes as he leaned against the borrowed hoverbike, he frowned as there was still no sign of the other. Running his hands through his short hair, Shiro started his search. Checking the usual spots, he came up empty. No Keith in the gym, library, his room, Shiro's room, or the bathroom. Something was off. Something was wrong.

Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into someone. Pausing, he blinked as he raised a brow.

“Adam?”

His boyfriend looked at him with a nod.

“What are you…” Shiro trailed off before he shook his head, “Have you seen Keith? We were supposed to go riding today, but he hasn't shown up.”

“He was back there,” the other pointed his thumb back the way he came, “Probably didn't want to bother you.”

“Maybe,” Shiro muttered with an upset scowl, feeling something was wrong still, “I'll...I'll catch up with you later, Adam. I need to check on Keith first. Make sure he's okay.”

“Alright,” Adam frowned before grabbing the strap on his bag and walking away. Shiro watched him go before he turned back to the hallway. It was the one that led to the communal showers. Strolling forward, he had to prevent himself from running across the long hallway. Pushing his way into the room, he looked around at the empty shower stalls. Going further inside, he could hear some water running in the far back stall. It wasn't at full blast, hardly heard, but it was enough to tell him someone was in it. 

Marching up to the door, Shiro started to raise his hand to knock when the door opened by itself. Shiro didn't have enough time to cover his eyes - in case whoever inside was naked - and he was glad he didn't. 

There in front of him was Keith. The younger was sitting hunched over with water gently lapping onto his head. His face was buried into his knees as he sat in his regular clothes of black pants and grey shirt. His red and white jacket was nowhere to be seen. His ebony hair fell down across his knees as he continued to sit there.

“Keith,” Shiro muttered as he shook his head fondly before concern littered his chest and he stepped forward, “Keith? Let's get out of here. Getting all wet is only going to get you sick.”

Turning the shower off, Shiro frowned as Keith stayed where he was. Knowing something was very wrong about this, Shiro carefully placed his hands on the younger's shoulders only to gulp and push Keith back. The younger man was cold against him, which could have been caused by the water pouring down on him. Gathering up an orange towel from the shelf nearby, Shiro almost dropped it onto the cold, water-filled floor as his heart skipped a beat. 

Shiro gripped the smaller's arms tightly as the other stayed completely still, tilting his wrists up to see them better. Shiro's blood froze in his veins as he let out a pained sound. 

Keith's wrists were mangled, torn and shredded in deliberate cuts. Bright scarlet blood dripped from them as he held them. The liquid fell to the floor before going down the drain. That's why he hadn't seen it. Keith's body had been blocking the view. A sharp knife from the cafeteria lay on his left side.

“Keith,” Shiro pleaded as he quickly pressed the towel to the wounds, gripping them tighter to stop the blood flow, “I got you, buddy. Just hold on. Stay with me.”

He didn't get a reply as he scooped up the other in his arms, not having much trouble since Keith weighed a little less than the weights he'd been training with for his mission. Dark eyes opened slowly, looking at him with a deep pain and loneliness in them. Shiro's heart broke all over again as the younger's eyes were unfocused, probably from blood loss, on his face. The younger’s lips moved sluggishly, but no sound came out. Shiro frowned as he hurried to get to the medical bay. Keith needed help now!

Continuing to apply pressure to Keith's wrists even as the other went more limp, things blurred as a whirlwind of events happened. People were there, demanding he let Keith go so they could treat him, as he held onto his hurt friend numbly. When he did let go, they rushed him away before questions were turned to him. He tried to answer as best he could, even when the higher commanders came into the room. Before he knew it, he was in the room with a sleeping Keith on the cot near his hand. Bandages covered Keith's arms in large, white patches. But Shiro could still see some old scars from past cuts as far up as Keith's elbows. 

Shiro gripped the raven-haired boy’s hand as he stared at the other. Was it partially his fault? Had he not paid enough attention to the other? How had he not seen that Keith was becoming depressed? It should have been easy to see with the other cadets not liking him and the teachers calling him a “disciplinary case”. He didn't know what had caused Keith to harm himself, but Shiro promised he'd help Keith get to a point where he didn't feel the need to physically wound himself. 

For a moment, all was silent as the heart monitor beeped softly. Slowly, eyes opened sleepily as Shiro watched Keith wake up. Violet eyes blinked at him curiously before they moved to his bandages and back up. Keith's expression dropped as he glanced away in shame. 

“Keith,” Shiro carefully gained the other's attention when he placed a hand over his shoulder, “I'm not...I'm not angry. I'm just sad.”

“Sad?” Keith refused to look at him, eyes lowered to his blanket bunched in his lap.

“Sad that I couldn't help you when you needed it most,” he explained softly as he gently squeezed his hand, “Sad that you thought the only way to get out of it was to end it. I'm here for you, Keith. Doesn't matter what you need or want me for. I'm here.”

“But Adam,” Keith cut himself off quickly, looking away with a frown, “You should be spending time with him. I can't take up your time like I am.”

“Who is telling you that?” He demanded as Keith fell silent and he sighed, “Keith. You know I care about you, right? I'm still not giving up on you. You can push me away. You can do whatever because I'm not leaving you.”

Keith continued to stare at his hands.

“I don't care what people say,” Shiro carefully took the other's chin into hand as he turned Keith so the younger was looking at him, “I'm worried about you, Keith. Your health, your happiness, your life. They are important to me.”

“I'm sorry,” Keith rubbed a thumb over his hand, a habit Shiro had noticed, as he bit his lip, “Sorry.”

“It's fine,” Shiro smiled quietly as Keith stared at him tiredly, “Just come to me if you're feeling bad. I'm here for you, Keith. Adam or no Adam. I'm your best friend. Not giving up on you _ever_.”

Keith nodded as he settled into a light sleep. His eyes slid shut as Shiro relaxed into his chair. Sleep collected into his own eyes as a loud yawn worked its way past his throat. Letting out a sigh, he never registered his head resting on the bed.

…..

“These,” Keith paused for a moment as he pointed to a group of slashes along Shiro's flesh arm, “They're not…”

“No,” Shiro reassured the younger as he brought the other's hand to the long-healed wounds, “These are from the Galra, I think. I never did it. I wanted to. I really was going to do it a few times.”

Shiro gently cupped Keith's face with the same hand as he grinned fondly. Keith gazed at him with wide eyes as he sat by him on the Altean bed in the castle.

“But I remembered you,” Shiro nodded as he watched his best friend tilt his head, “And how strong you were. I told myself I had to get back, so I couldn't. I couldn't end it all and leave you alone again.”

“Shiro,” Keith stared at him as his brow twisted.

“You…” Shiro wasn't sure what to say so he trended lightly on the next part, “You haven't…”

“No,” Keith shook his head as he pulled up his sleeve, letting Shiro run a finger over the white marks there, “I wanted to. Was going to, but I knew you'd have been disappointed like that day in the Garrison hospital. Even if I thought you'd never come back, I knew you'd never like me doing that. So I focused all my energy on finding the Blue Lion. I guess the lion helped me.”

“I'm glad,” Shiro nuzzled his face against Keith's soft hair as he pulled him into a hug. The younger man relaxed against him as warmth curled all around Shiro, comforting him in ways he hadn't had in nearly a year and a half. He had missed Keith.

“Stay the night?” Keith glanced up at him with a small smile that Shiro couldn't say no to. Shiro nodded as he pressed against the smaller as they both fell back onto the tiny bed. Turning so he wasn't completely on top of Keith, he rested his hand over the other's back as hair tickled his chin. Keith sighed as he buried his head into Shiro's shirt. Pushing the blanket up over them, Shiro smiled quietly as he rubbed Keith's back. Set on a rhythm, he started to drift off to sleep as Keith snuggled even closer, curling around his larger body. Shiro fell asleep as Keith's breathing evened out, arms holding onto his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, Adam wasn't trying to be mean to Keith but he may have said some stuff to make Keith feel even worse. Trust me, sometimes saying one little thing can make someone else really depressed and that depressed person feels worse. It sucks :^( but it happens...
> 
> Also, Adam and Shiro still broke up over Kerbs like in canon...Shiro was just there for Keith when he really needed him.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
